9
\$\begingroup\$

It certainly seems from reading the spell Blink, like it should be possible to ready an action, with the trigger being, "when I appear on the ethereal plane" and then using that action to effect/attack another creature on that plane. Or am I missing something?

This other post, seems to agree though the topic of that question is in relation to moving around on said plane: Can I combine the Blink Spell and a readied action to move around in the ethereal plane?

\$\endgroup\$
0

2 Answers 2

10
\$\begingroup\$

This can work

You will be able to attack creatures on the Ethereal Plane when you appear there. Blink says

While on the Ethereal Plane, you can see and hear the plane you originated from, which is cast in shades of gray, and you can't see anything there more than 60 feet away. You can only affect and be affected by other creatures on the Ethereal Plane.

So you can affect creatures there. The section about Ready (p 193 PHB) reads:

First, you decide what perceivable circumstance will trigger your reaction. Then, you choose the action you will take in response to that trigger, or you choose to move up to your speed in response to it. Examples include “If the cultist steps on the trapdoor, I’ll pull the lever that opens it,” and “If the goblin steps next to me, I move away.”

Moving to the Ethereal is a perceivable circumstance. You probably would need to know who or what you expect to see there that you want to attack, depending on how specific your DM demands your pre-planned action to be described.

\$\endgroup\$
1
  • \$\begingroup\$ Another way to affect creatures on the ethereal plane is to be have an effect active like Spirit Guardians when you blink in. (e.g. as a Trickery cleric.) But yes, if you want to actively do something instead of just bring a passive AoE, you'd need to be ready to decide if any targets you see there are hostile or not. (Like on TV shows when you see police training in a firing range that has pop-up targets of hostiles and civilians.) \$\endgroup\$ Nov 10, 2022 at 18:48
1
\$\begingroup\$

Yes, but not immediately and not reliably.

You are transported there at the end of your turns (50÷ chance) and transported back from the ethereal plane at the start of your next turn. To ready an action, you have to use an action (on your turn) to ready an action that will take place before the start of your next turn and casting blink is an action.

So the sequence can be something like: action, cast blink -> at the end of your turn 50÷ chance to blink - success -> you pop into the ethereal plane, but can do nothing, since you have no readied action, but the creature is aware of you -> next turn, use action to ready action to attack in ethereal -> 50÷ chance fails, readied action wasted since trigger condition is not met -> next turn, use your action to ready an action again -> 50÷ succeeds -> now you try to perform your readied action, but the creature might have wised up in the meantime and moved more than 60 ft away, in which case you can't see it and the readied action is wasted again.

A much better RAW compliant (IMO) way to use this would be too have a party member(s) climb into a bag of holding since your items come with you, ready an action to quickly turn the bag of holding inside out and therefore empty it as soon as you blink in, have them do their stuff and then at an agreed upon future time have them waiting inside the bag so you can blink in with a ready action to pick it up.

\$\endgroup\$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .